


Brothers and Sisters

by sanctuary_for_all



Series: The King and King of L.A. [8]
Category: Hit the Floor (TV)
Genre: But only a little, Established Relationship, Family, Feels, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Maybe a little angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-21
Packaged: 2018-08-14 00:50:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7992508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sanctuary_for_all/pseuds/sanctuary_for_all
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zero/Gideon may have decided his little sister Laura was better off without him, but no one asked Laura whether she felt the same way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is set a few months after 3X11.

Laura just... didn’t pay any attention to basketball. No one in her family did.

On the list of regrets in her life, it probably should have ranked pretty low. The prescription drug addiction she’d had to start battling at the age of 15 was considerably more dramatic, and there was a collection of straight, faded scars on her thighs that meant she had to be damn careful about who she took to bed. Too many bed partners had either been assholes about it, or had become so focused on her “trauma” that they hadn’t been able to shut up about it. She’d been tempted to punch people in both categories.

But the fact that she’d never followed basketball would end up haunting her the most. 

000

The last place Laura wanted to be on a Thursday night was scouring the magazines at Barnes and Noble, looking for suitably interesting fonts. But when you were a few years older than the rest of the senior class and tended to get rabidly passionate about foster care reform, you ended up with whatever friends you could get. “You know that libraries give old magazines away for free, right?” she sniped, shoving the magazine she’d been paging through back in the rack. “If you’d started the assignment even _this morning_ , we might have had the time to go around to a few.”  

“Shut up and keep looking,” Kim shot back, glaring daggers at every magazine she pulled out of the rack. “It’s a stupid assignment to begin with. I mean, who uses magazines anymore anyway? I’m sure I could find plenty of fonts online, but _no_....”

Laura sighed, tuning out the rest of the rant as she started scanning the rack. They were going about this the wrong way. One good design magazine would probably be enough to give Kim everything she....

The words trailed off as her attention was grabbed by the latest issue of “Out” magazine. Most of the cover was taken up by the cover model’s bare chest and flexing arms, but it was the face she’d snagged on. The shape of it, to be more precise, the line of the jaw and the way the cheekbones and eyes set together on the face. She’d seen that face, or at least one very similar to it, the last time she’d looked in the mirror.

Unbidden, the faded memory of Gideon dribbling a duct-taped basketball on a shitty, broken driveway rose up in her mind. He’d spun it around on his finger once, and at nine she’d thought it was the coolest trick in the entire world.

She was almost angry as she shook her head to clear the thought away. Finally finding your big brother again because you saw him on the cover of a magazine was the sort of thing lonely foster kids fantasized about, not what actually happened.  Here in reality, the state ripped you apart and you never saw him again.

Distantly, she heard Kim come closer. “What are you staring at? The store closes in 15 minutes.” Her tone changed as she caught sight of the magazine cover. “Oh, that’s the basketball guy. He kissed his boyfriend on national television after a game, I think. What was his name? He only has one, like Beyonce. I'm pretty sure it's a numb—“ She cut herself off suddenly, tilting her head as she looked at the picture more closely. “He kind of looks like you.” She looked at Laura, then back at the cover. “Actually, he looks a _lot_ like you.”

Laura swallowed, not able to tear her eyes away from the picture. “No, he doesn’t.”

“Yeah, he really does.” Kim picked up the magazine, a fascinated expression on her face as she paged through it to find the cover story. “Ah, here it is. Zero.”

The people who’d fostered them had called Gideon Zero sometimes. She’d hated it, kicking the woman in the shins for it once. She’d gotten smacked for it, but it was Gideon she’d listened to when he told her to stop. It wasn’t worth her getting hurt, he’d said.

Her chest twisted painfully as she pulled the magazine out of Kim’s hands, scanning the article. It was career highlights mostly – he’d been in Ohio at one point, though now he was in LA – and questions about sex. No history, only glossy photos designed to make him look good enough to eat.

At the thought, Laura felt faintly sick.

Closing the magazine and holding it tight against her chest, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and called home. The woman she’d finally started referring to as “mom” when she was 16 picked up the phone almost immediately. “Hi, honey!” she said brightly, the sound of the television a low murmur in the background. “How’s your day been?”

Laura closed her eyes, her voice shaking a little. “Mom, I need you go to go online and look for pictures of a basketball player named Zero. He plays for the L.A. Devils.”

There was a pause on the other end of the phone. “Let me go get my tablet.” Laura waited in silence as she heard the rustling sounds of her mother moving, the steady silence of her doing the Google search Laura had asked for. “I found them, honey. I’m not sure what you wanted me to see.”

It was nothing. Of course it was nothing. She’d had a long week, and old dreams had started running away with her. “Make sure you find one where you can see his face. Please. Just take a good look at his face, then I’ll never bug you about this again.”

Her mother’s voice was gentle now. “Okay, honey. Just give me a—“ The sentence cut off suddenly, and she heard the small intake of breath on the other end of the phone.

The quiet “oh” that followed brought tears to Laura’s eyes.

000

Laura bought the magazine, but the question of what to do next was a hell of a lot more complicated. Every extra penny she had was paying for things like rent and the rest of her tuition, and both of her parents had retired. There was no extra money for a private investigator, or even the kind of research that would let her find out more about Zero’s – she couldn’t let herself call him Gideon – past.

She imagined showing up at his front door sometimes, or at the stadium, and asking him if he happened to have lost a sister at some point. Unfortunately, she was practical enough that most of the fantasies ended the same way reality would, with security dragging her away before the second sentence made it all the way out of her mouth.

But that didn’t mean she couldn’t read everything about him she could. There’d apparently been a prostitute scandal at some point, with rumors of considerably more, but if he really was her brother she wasn’t about to judge him. His life had probably been even shittier than hers had been before the Pearsons adopted her. There were a few pictures of him and the guy he’d kissed, Jude Kinkade, and Laura found herself getting a little more emotional than was at all wise over their engagement and how happy Zero looked. She also paid way more attention to the playoffs then she'd meant to, and cheered when the Devils won their second championship even though she'd barely been able to follow what was going on at times. Throughout it all she kept finding mentions of foster care in Google searches, but the article they all referenced had apparently been taken down at some point.

It was the Google Alert on the Just Jared article talking about Jude and Zero’s new house that really sealed the deal. The article talked mostly about the neighborhood it was in, speculating on whether it would be the new “it” place to live, but all Laura could think about was that it was the same neighborhood the foster home had been in. Was there any chance it could be the same house?

She called her mother, who listened with the same loving patience that had gotten Laura to college in the first place. “Honey,” she said finally. “I think it’s time you go find out whether or not this Zero is your Gideon.”

“I don’t even know _how_ , Mom.” Laura swiped at her wet eyes. “I’ll probably get arrested or something.”

“Then I’ll send you bail money,” her mother said calmly. “But you have to know.”

That night, Laura bought a plane ticket to L.A.


	2. Chapter 2

Working for Jelena was similar to what Jude imagined living with a tiger would be like – it was likely you’d get eaten at some point, but until then the experience was surprisingly exhilarating. He and Gideon were working on an exit strategy in case she decided to stab them in the back , but until then he’d enjoy the experience of working for someone who actually wanted to utilize the full extent of his abilities.

Unfortunately, it made it harder to slip out to the house during the day, but Jude always tried to find a few minutes whenever he could. The remodel was going well, but there were always little things that it was easier for one of them to oversee on site. And, until the Just Jared gawkers stopped driving through the neighborhood trying to find the specific address, he was less of a target out there than Gideon would be.

That day he snapped a picture of one of the guest rooms, sending it to Gideon with a teasing “Is this where we’ll put the baby?” when the foreman came and found him. “Boss, the lady’s back,” he said, gesturing toward the front of the house. “The one who was parked out there for a couple hours yesterday? She still hasn’t tried to take pictures or talk to anyone, but if you want I can send one of the guys out there to have a talk with her.”

Jude shook his head, slipping back into professional mode as he slid the phone back into his pocket. “I’ll do it.” He needed to know whether she was just another fan, a paparazzo, or someone looking to “talk” to Gideon. His fiancé swore there was no chance he had a kid out there – he hadn’t wanted to leave someone else to grow up the same way he and Jude had – but that didn’t mean someone couldn’t come forward to try and claim Gideon as the father of her child.

Whoever it was, Jude would deal with it. No one got near Gideon without going through him first.

He was in full executive mode as he headed outside, planning to play it cool until he was given a reason not to. The young woman in the car, however, clearly wasn’t following the same plan. She was out of the rental car before he’d even made it halfway across the street, hands up in a defensive gesture. “I’m sorry,” she said immediately. “I know I look really stalkery right now, but this was the only way I could think of to....” The words trailed off as she focused on his face. “You’re Jude Kinkade.” Her eyes widened for a second, then she squared her shoulders and took a deep breath. “You’re one of the people I was hoping to talk to, actually.”

For the first time in a very long time, Jude didn’t have an immediate response ready. Because the woman standing in front of him looked a _hell_ of a lot like Gideon, enough so that it knocked him off his feet for a second. Her hair was different, falling past her shoulders and somewhere in between Gideon’s natural hair color and the shade he normally bleached it, her lips were a different shape, and she was considerably shorter. But it was mostly Gideon, a few years younger and a girl, and all Jude could think was that this had to be Laura.

That still didn’t mean she was safe, though. He forced himself back into the moment, giving her a nod. “I’m listening.”

That seemed to throw her for a second, like she hadn’t expected to get that far, then she rallied. “My name is Laura Pearson, and I spent several really shitty years as a foster kid in the house you’re remodeling. One of the very few things that helped me survive those years was my big brother, Gideon, but social services yanked me into another foster home when I was 12 and I haven’t seen him since. But then I saw Zero on the cover of ‘Out,’ and he just...” Her voice cracked. “I always liked the fact that we looked so much alike. People just had to see us standing next to each other to know we were brother and sister.”

“And you think Zero is Gideon?” Jude asked carefully, as if he didn’t already know that he was.

“I don’t know!” She threw her hands in the air. “Gideon loved basketball, and the assholes who fostered us used to call him Zero sometimes, but what are the odds that my big brother just _happened_ to get famous enough that I stumble across his picture in a bookstore?” She took another deep breath, scrubbing her hands across his face before giving Jude an imploring look. “But then I heard you guys were fixing up a house in this neighborhood, and it turns out to be the exact _same_ terrible, disgusting house I grew up in. You guys could live _anywhere_. Why would you choose such a shitty house unless it meant something to one of you?”

Jude watched her for a long moment. “What if Zero does turn out to be Gideon? What do you picture happening next?”

Laura just stared at him, her expression making it clear she hadn’t thought things through that far. “Hugging? Maybe some crying?” Then she hesitated. “Maybe he won’t want to see me. If he doesn’t, I....” She stopped, hurt flashing in her eyes, then she swallowed. “I get that.” She nodded. “If it’s not him, or he doesn’t want to see me, I promise I’ll go straight home and won’t bug either of you again.”

“Even if he does want to see you, you’ll be dragged into the middle of a media circus.” Jude allowed his voice to gentle slightly. “Are you sure you’re prepared for that?”

She looked skeptical. “I know your kiss was a big deal, but I work two jobs and just _barely_ made it into grad school this fall. I’m not that exciting.”

“Pro basketball star’s secret sister revealed: is she trading on her tragic past to get her student loans paid off? Sister or secret lover? Dark past ties together basketball star, grad student.”  Jude reeled off the imaginary headlines, all undoubtedly more gentle than the actual gossip rags would pull together. “If you’re not enough of a story for them, they’ll make one up.”

She looked a little shell-shocked, which he took to mean that she was taking him seriously, then she squared her shoulders again. “If Zero isn’t my brother or he doesn’t want to see me, then there’s no story. If he is, I’ll take whatever shit they can dish out if it gets me my brother back.”

Jude nodded. It wasn’t the final test by far, but Laura had passed round one. He pulled out a business card, handing it to her, then put the number she gave him into his phone. “It’ll take me a couple of days to get the information you need. Where are you staying?”

She listed the name of some random motel by the airport, cheap enough that he had no way to ensure security there. “I have to leave Sunday. I’m lucky I managed to get as much time off work as I did.”

He considered this, then pulled out his wallet in a calculated move. “If you need to cover some of your expenses, I could—“

Laura shook her head, cutting him off. “I can deal with my own shit.” The look she shot him was almost angry. “I’m not looking for a handout, Mr. Kinkade. I’m looking for the asshole who taught me my times tables.”

Then she got back in her car and drove off. Jude watched her go, a thoughtful expression on his face.

000

Laura’s background check cleared quickly enough. She was both who she and the private investigator said she was, a student and part-time social worker who had been adopted at the age of 15. The number she’d given Jude was the same one the private investigator had given Gideon, and though she had a stack of student loan debt she wasn’t in any serious financial or legal trouble.

But Gideon had decided it was safest not to talk to her, and he had the right to make that decision again if he wanted. He’d face his own repercussions in the media, since acknowledging his lost little sister would make it impossible to hide the past he’d been so careful about protecting up to this point.

That night, he brought the question up as casually as he could. “You decided against calling Laura, but we don’t really have a plan yet on what to do if she decides to find you,” he said, stealing some of Gideon’s tandoori chicken. “I mean, it’s not like you’re impossible to locate.”

Gideon gave him a questioning look as he stole some of Jude’s lamb rogan josh in return. “I’d probably let myself be found. It’s my _sister_ – if she wants money, she can have it.”

There were very few people Gideon gave his loyalty to. But once he did, it was absolute. “Don’t be so quick,” Jude warned. “You haven’t seen her in years, remember.”

“From the sound of things, she has it more together than I’ve ever managed.  I don’t think there’s anything to worry about from that front.” Gideon shot him an amused, affectionate look. “So stop stressing. Wifey’s orders.”

 “But there is,” Jude said gently. “If you acknowledge her, you have to acknowledge Gideon, too. The whole story would come out.” He winced, realizing an additional wrinkle he hadn’t thought about. “We’d have to get Jelena involved, too. If we spring it on her, she’ll think it’s a publicity stunt you’ve cooked up.”

Gideon raised an eyebrow. “And yet it’s somehow still easier having her as a boss than it was to date her.” Then his expression turned thoughtful. “I could do it,” he said finally. “As long as you were with me. I don’t _want_ to, but being with you has proven that some people are worth jumping off a cliff for.” Then he shook his head, a wry expression on his face. “But that’s all extremely theoretical. So eat your dinner and stop worrying about things that aren’t going to happen.”

Jude set down his container of food. “Actually, it already has.”


	3. Chapter 3

For a second, Gideon was sure he hadn’t heard Jude right. “What?”

“Laura.” Jude’s voice was gentle but serious as he took Gideon’s hand in his. “She remembered or found out the address of the old foster home from the adoption records, and came by hoping to talk to one of us. She saw your ‘Out’ cover, and put it together with the house and a couple of other things.”

Gideon held on to Jude, trying to make his brain start working again. He’d had to wrestle with the decision to leave Laura in peace, but for some reason it had never occurred to him that she might try to track him down in return. Even when Jude had been talking about it, a part of him had secretly felt that his fiancé was just being paranoid. Laura had a good life – why would she ever try looking for him? “Does she need something? Money? A kidney?”

Jude’s lips quirked. “She was pretty pissed off when I tried to pay for her hotel bill, so I don’t think money’s going to come up.” Then the humor disappeared as he moved Gideon’s food container out of the way, wrapping his other hand around their joined hands as well. “She just wants to know if you’re really Gideon, and if you are she wants to meet you. I did some checking, and I honestly think that’s all it is.”

The shock was fading, but emotion was rushing in to fill its place. “She was 12 the last time she saw me. I guess I just assumed she didn’t remember much about me.” He winced. “How much has she read?”

“I don’t know. But if she found the Just Jared article, it’s pretty safe to assume she at least knows the gossip highlights. On top of that, I gave her an idea of the media circus that would follow once the news story broke.” He rubbed Gideon’s hand comfortingly. “And even after all that, she still wants to see you.”

It felt like there was a rock lodged in his throat. He’d spent more than a decade trying to lock down any memories of the stubborn, sad little girl who’d been one of the very few reasons he’d bothered waking up, some mornings, but suddenly they were rushing back all at once. “How’d she look?” he managed finally, not even really sure what he was asking. “Did... did she seem like she was doing okay?”

“Let’s just say I pity the poor soul who dares try and underestimate her.” There was just a touch of warmth in his voice, and Gideon realized suddenly that Laura had made a pretty good first impression on Jude. He liked her, or at least wanted to. “Reminds me of someone else I know.”

Gideon’s laugh was damp as he lifted his free hand to swipe at his suddenly wet eyes. “Genetics. What can you do?” Then he let out a shaky breath. “You’re _sure_ she wants to see me?”

“I’m sure.” Jude squeezed his hand again. “But it might be a good idea if you called her, first. It’ll take some arranging to set up a visit without anyone catching wind of it.”

Gideon knew what Jude wasn’t saying. If Laura really did want to be in his life, the big reveal would inevitably end up happening in the middle of a media circus. They needed time to get to know each other again before that happened, a real set of firsts that was theirs and no one else’s. If he didn’t want to wait, he’d have to call her.

He swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.”

000

They decided that Gideon should use Jude’s phone, so Laura would recognize it and know she should pick up. Gideon went into the bedroom to make the call, stretching out on Jude’s side of the bed and leaning back against the headboard. If his finger shook as he hit the call button, no one else needed to know.

He closed his eyes as the phone rang, then a young woman with a faint trace of Boston in her voice answered the phone. “Mr. Kinkade?” she asked. “Did you talk to him?”

It took a second before he could make himself speak. “Actually, this isn’t Mr. Kinkade. We decided it would be best to use a number you’d recognize.”

The sudden silence on the other end of the phone echoed. “Zero?” she asked finally, voice much smaller and less steady than it had been.

His eyes started stinging again. “You always hated when they called me that,” he managed, remembering Laura sticking her tongue out at both Leo and Carla behind their backs every time they used the name. Even after she’d been smacked for fighting back, she’d never stopped wanting to defend him. “You should probably call me Gideon.” He heard a muffled sound on the other end of the phone that he finally recognized was crying, and he straightened in sudden alarm. “Or you don’t have to. That’s fine – whatever you want.”

“Oh, shut up. Of course you’re Gideon.” Her voice was wet. “I told your fiancé there’d be sobbing. He really should have passed on the warning.”

“He did. My fault I didn’t believe him.” Gideon wiped at his own eyes, his voice a rasp. “I actually hired a private investigator to track you down, but I wasn’t sure if you’d want to see me.”

Laura made a deeply offended noise. “You’re lucky you’re talking to me on the phone, because if I were there in person I’d totally have to kick your ass for that. You _absolutely_ should have contacted me, especially since I was driving myself crazy trying to decide whether I was hallucinating or if I really had found my big brother on a magazine cover.”

It was fitting that the “Out” cover had been what started her hunting, since it was one more way that kissing Jude on the basketball court had radically changed his life for the better. “If we do meet up, I’m going to end up dragging you into the middle of a shitstorm. The press will be everywhere, and at least part of our past will end up being public knowledge.”

“That’s true of you, too,” she said quietly, as if she’d thought about it. “I didn’t track you down to make your life harder, Gideon.”

He tilted his head back, staring up at the ceiling without really seeing it. “I want you back,” he said finally, emotion a tight knot in his chest. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to make that happen.”

She made a sniffling sound, and when she spoke she sounded choked up. “Me, too. So you guys can stop warning me, because I’m all in if you are.”

“Okay.” It was weak, horribly inadequate, but the only other words he had were “I love you” and he couldn’t say that yet. They didn’t know each other anymore, not really. “Tell me everything about you. The private investigator gave me the basics, but they never get the real story.”

So she started talking, telling him everything that had happened since he’d watched the social worker drive off with her and let himself hope she was escaping to something better. Well, not _everything_ – her description of the first few years were painfully brief, and he knew there were all kinds of bad stories he wasn’t hearing. But that meant it wasn’t too long before she got to the Pearsons, her voice softening as she described meeting them, and it eased something inside Gideon that she hadn’t been alone all this time.

Then she started talking about her part-time job as a Community Services Worker, trying to keep track of all the foster kids she was responsible for and making sure they were never forgotten. He was so proud of her he could barely breathe, and when she started talking about her hopes for the future he privately started making plans to help in any way he could.

In the middle of a story about one of the kids she worked with, she suddenly cut off. “Okay, usually by this point someone’s muzzled me and dragged me out of the party. Your turn, big brother. Tell me everything.”

He let out a breath, his whole sordid past reeling through his mind. He had stories he didn’t want to burden her with, either. “Not much to tell. I played basketball, moved around a little.”

“Sure, that’s all it was.” The words were sarcastic, but her voice softened almost immediately. “Tell me about Jude, then. How’d my big brother meet the love of his life?”

So he told her, starting in Ohio with the first time he’d caught the shrewd look on the face of the newest junior agent at his agency. He edited it, of course – he wasn’t ready to start talking to his little sister about his sex life, as fantastic as it was – but he didn’t bother trying to stop the emotion that always poured out of him when he let himself talk about Jude too long. He didn’t have to hide himself from Laura.

“So it sounds like I don’t have to give him the ‘hurt my brother and I’ll kick your ass’ speech,” she said after he’d finally wound down, sounding just as pleased as he’d felt listening to her. “Though I think he was tempted to give me a similar speech when he found me outside the house. Your Jude’s quite terrifying when he wants to be.”

Gideon couldn’t help but smile. He’d have to pass that one onto Jude. “You know, not a lot of people see that.”

“Well, it doesn’t surprise me people are idiots.” Then she let out a breath, her voice going solemn. “Why that house? The only good thing about that place was the fact that you were there with me.”

He remembered what Jude said about wanting to give him a home, about believing for once that having a real home was even possible. “I wanted to make it into something better than it was.” Then he let out his own sigh. “To make myself into something better.”

“You’re not a bad person because bad things happened to you, Gideon,” she chided, sounding suddenly like she was 10 and telling him he needed to stay safe when he went out wandering after dark. “The fact that we fought back and made something out of ourselves is something we should be proud of.”

It was a sweet thought, but he couldn’t really see how it applied to him. “I don’t—“

“I do,” she said firmly, cutting him off. “Dad had to tell me that over and over again for years before I let myself believe it. I’m more than willing to do the same thing for you until you start believing it, too.”

He wiped his eyes again, too choked up to speak for a second. “I’m really glad you came to find me,” he managed finally.

Her laugh was wet. “Me, too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to have one long fourth chapter with a POV segment from each of them, but given how long Laura's segment turned out that would have ended up being a MONSTER chapter. So congratulations, you get at least one more chapter (that would have both Jude and Gideon's POV).

Laura had brought two work shirts with her, on the off chance that she’d needed to look serious and/or non-stalkery at any point. She’d gone back and forth between them both twice in the last 15 minutes, finally ending up with the one she’d started with in the first place because she was getting embarrassed with herself. She stopped to smoother her hair back every single time she passed by the mirror, tried on her limited supply of makeup before wiping it off in annoyance, and couldn’t sit down for longer than 30 seconds at a time. She’d timed it.

What if Gideon was disappointed when he saw her in person? What if _she_ was disappointed when she saw _him_ , and he could see it on her face? What if they’d already run out of things to say to each other? What if Jude decided he didn’t like her, and made things weird? What if she loved it so much she couldn’t bear to go home to Boston again? What if—

The disaster of an inner monologue was cut off by the quiet sound of someone knocking at the motel room door. She hurriedly opened it to find an older Hispanic woman at the door, wearing a housekeeping uniform, a light jacket, and a quiet smile. “Your chariot is here,” she said in a low, amused voice, gesturing to the van waiting outside. “You are Mr. Gideon’s little sister?”

Laura nodded, throat tight. “And you’re Sophia. Gideon said we can trust you.”

Sophia smiled a little. “He and his Jude do not say that about many people. The fact that you are being invited into Mr. Kinkade’s home, even under the cover of night, says that you are on that list as well.”

The comment eased the pressure in Laura’s chest a little, and Sophia was careful to say just enough on the drive there to keep it from building up again. It spiked when they pulled up to Jude’s building, and when they were standing in front of his door she was horrified to find she’d frozen completely. “What if it’s not the same as it was on the phone?” she whispered.

Instead of responding, Sophia opened the door with a key and gently led Laura inside. “Mr.Kinkade, Mr. Gideon, you have a visitor.”

Laura’s first impression was shock at how _normal_ the place looked. That lasted less than a second, however, since Gideon whirled around from where he’d been pacing to stare at her and suddenly all she could see was him. He looked so much more _real_ than he had online or in any of the magazines, softer and less certain, and her chest clenched in a wave of protectiveness that she hadn’t felt in a really long time.

Behind her, she heard Jude murmur a thank you to Sophia, and she made herself swallow. “Hi,” she whispered, throat tight.

“Hi.” Gideon’s voice was rough, looking like he was trying for more but nothing else was coming. After a few more endless seconds, he just held out his arms.

Choking back a sob, she ran over and threw her own arms around him. He hugged her _so tightly_ , they way they used to do when one of them would wake up with nightmares, and she pressed her face against his shirt and let herself cry. She felt his lips against her hair, hand rubbing up and down her back in comfort. “It’s okay,” he whispered, his own voice wet. “I’ve got you.”

Laura held him tighter, soaking in the feeling of being anchored. All her life, she’d only ever felt that way with three people – her adoptive parents, and her big brother. Suddenly, she realized she’d been an idiot for worrying.

She pulled back, smiling up at him. “You’ve gotten taller.”

His grin flashed. “Lucky for me you haven’t.”

She laughed, shoving at his chest as they broke the hug, and she turned around to see Jude looking at them both with a pleased, faintly wistful expression. “I’ll leave you two alone,” he said, clearly ready to duck into the back room again.

Laura admittedly hadn’t had much practice with this brother-in-law thing, but she was pretty sure that letting him go was a really bad idea. “Wait!” She moved towards him. “I’ve never done this before, but I’m pretty sure we should both be valiantly trying to charm the in-law right about now. How are either of us supposed to do that if you won’t spend any time with me?”

He blinked, as if startled by the idea that she’d want to spend time with him, and Laura realized that Jude reminded her of some of the foster kids she’d worked with. The ones who drew in on themselves, rather than got angry. The ones who never bothered trying to push people away, because they couldn’t imagine anyone would ever want them in the first place.

No wonder he and Gideon understood each other so well.

She felt her brother come up behind her. “Come on,” he told Jude, voice gently cajoling. “Let’s make it a real family night.” Jude’s face softened suddenly, and when Laura looked back at Gideon she could see a wealth of tenderness in his eyes. Then he grinned. “Besides, you know if you leave me alone with your share of the fro-yo, I’ll blow my diet all to hell. You don’t want to leave me at Jelena’s mercy, do you?”

Laura matched his grin as she turned back to Jude. “It’s my mercy he should be worried about. You do realize that we’re each other’s best resource for embarrassing Gideon stories, don’t you? I really want to make him blush, Jude, and I’m going to need your help to do that.”

Gideon shrugged, clearly amused. “Bring it.”

By that point, Jude was smiling at both of them. “Just let me call Jelena and spring the news of our future press conference on her,” he said, everything about him warm and fond. “Then I’ll come back out and tell you how our housekeeper has Gideon wrapped around her little finger.”

Gideon pointed at him, expression mock stern. “That is a flagrant lie.”

Jude’s smile widened. “You stand there patiently and let her tell you about all 15 of her grandchildren at _least_ once a week.”

_That_ sounded like the Gideon she remembered. Laura laughed at how flustered Gideon suddenly looked, sliding her arms around his middle. “Don’t worry, big bro. We won’t tell anyone else you have a marshmallow heart.”

He tightened an arm around her. “That’s a relief.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hadn't planned on having Jelena show up in this story, but she informed me I was mistaken. So the Jude and Gideon POVs will each be their own chapter, and this thing will officially end at 6 chapters.

“Of _course_ he has a sister and a Lifetime TV movie-ready childhood no one knew about.” Even over the phone, Jude could tell that Jelena’s sigh was long-suffering rather than angry. He wondered if she realized how much progress that signified. “I take it this means they’re going to make their epic, attention-grabbing journey to find their bio-parents in a few months?”

“Definitely not,” Jude soothed, leaning against the bathroom counter. “They don’t even know their biological father, and they have no interest in re-uniting with their biological mother. If either of them try to come sniffing around, I’ll take care of it.”

Jude realized his voice had taken on a threatening edge. He knew Gideon was worried about opening that door, and Jude swore he’d do everything in his power to keep it protected. No one who could potentially hurt Gideon was getting anywhere near him.

Jelena seemed completely unfazed. “Don’t murder anyone. That’s definitely bad press.” He couldn’t tell if she was joking. “I presume you’ve checked that she really is his sister.”

“Of course I have.” They would do a DNA test later, for form’s sake, but they’d make it clear to Laura it was only part of the show. “It helps that they look freakishly alike.”

“Plastic surgery can do a much better job of that then genetics can,” she countered. “Your presence in Zero’s life has softened his public image. People might see him as vulnerable now.”

Another argument he’d been expecting. “I already checked that as well. No medical procedures, no gaps in her schedule she would have needed to recover from an illegal one, and no mysterious trips out of the country. She knows key details about his life that I spent the last year or so making damn certain couldn’t be tracked down by strangers, and her records match everything she’s told us - both currently and in records I’m not supposed to be able to access.”

“True. And if she’d really wanted to manipulate Zero, she would have pretended she’d gotten pregnant with his child.” The faint edge of bitterness in her voice, Jude knew, was still aimed at Terrence. “Unless he signed some kind of guardianship paperwork, a little sister has no legal hold on him.”

“No, she doesn’t.” He let his voice turn cajoling. “If we spin this right, you know this could fit right in with the new, emotionally-mature image Gideon’s been promoting these last several months. The press has realized that he really is the new anchor for the team, and a story that focuses this much on family would only make him look more stable.”

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. “I’m still not calling him Gideon. It doesn’t have the brand recognition Zero does, and I don’t want to waste money on the reprints that would take.”

“That’s fine.” Gideon still didn’t want to be called by his last name – he didn’t want anything to connect him to his mother, he said – and was planning on simply taking Jude’s when they got married. On top of that, still being Zero professionally would give him more cover to hide behind if he needed it. “He doesn’t want to lose the brand recognition, either. All we’re doing is making the brand more valuable as a long-term investment for the team.”

She made a thoughtful sound. “You always have an answer, don’t you?”

He smirked a little. “That’s literally my job.”

Now she sounded pleased.  “If anyone tries to steal you, I want a chance to counter whatever offer they make.”

It was a compliment, which was both flattering and useful at the same moment. “As long as Gideon’s happy, I have no reason to go anywhere.”

“I imagine it wouldn’t surprise you at all that Zero said _exactly_ the same thing about you when we spoke last week.” The words were dry, but they were more exasperated than mocking.

His mouth softened into a smile. “No, it wouldn’t.”

She sighed. “It’s been strange, watching the two of you with each other.” The words sounded weightier than Jude would have expected, but when she spoke again her voice was back to its usual briskness. “Let me know what your plan is for the conference.”

“Of course. And don’t worry – I’ll make sure everyone’s wearing Devil’s merchandise.”

“That’s the kind of thing I like to hear from my EVP.”

Jude hung up the phone after she did, giving himself a moment to enjoy the relief that trouble likely wouldn’t be coming from that front. Then he headed back into the living room, smiling at the sight of Gideon and Laura sitting together on the couch eating frozen yogurt like they were teenagers. The fact that there was someone else Gideon could be more at ease around, more _himself_ , made Jude feel hopeful in a way he couldn’t quite explain. So he would just enjoy it, be happy for the man he loved, and watch out for any potential complications.

Gideon turned his head just right to catch sight of him, making an exasperated noise as he gestured Jude closer. “I told you, get over here.” Jude obeyed, heading for the chair, but Gideon scooted closer to Laura so there was a free spot on his other side. He sat down there instead, and Gideon tilted his container to offer the second spoon he’d stuck inside it. “I already beat you to the tennis story, because I knew you wouldn’t do justice to the secret mastery behind my terrible racket skills.” He grinned as he licked the ice cream off his own spoon. “I made you look good, though, so don’t worry.”

“Maybe _too_ good,” Laura said, amused. “I feel like I should warn you now that my dad gets weirdly intense about tennis. He actually has a whole long rant about how Serena Williams doesn’t get enough appreciation from American audiences, and if he finds out you’re really good at it he will try to suck you into tennis conversations every _single_ chance he gets.”

Jude blinked, surprised, and Gideon actually went a little pale. “We’re meeting your parents?” he asked, sounding only slightly strangled.

Laura just stared a moment, completely confused. “Of course you are.” Then she narrowed her eyes. “Isn’t that what the whole big reveal thing is going to be about? So we get to hang out with each other without anyone freaking out about it? That includes hanging out with your family,” she gestured to Jude, “ _and_ mine.”

She was starting to sound deeply offended, and Jude took the container as Gideon shifted around to face Laura. “I have no problem meeting your parents, and neither does Jude. They sound like amazing people. But I’m not so sure they’ll want to spend time with _me_.” The words were heavy with implication, and Jude knew  Gideon hoped he wouldn’t have to go into detail. “If they’ve read anything about me in the tabloids....”

Laura’s “don’t be an idiot” look was clear. “Listen, if they can handle all the shit I put them through when I was 15, you’re not going to phase them.” Then her expression softened at whatever she could see on Gideon’s face. “They want to meet you. I already told them all about you after that first call, and Mom said she’s started researching basketball so she’ll be able to cheer you on properly the next time the team comes to Boston.” Then she angled herself to point a warning spoon over her brother’s shoulder at Jude. “I didn’t tell them as much about you, but they want to see you, too. So don’t think you’re going to hide, either.”

Gideon shifted back around enough that Jude could see his face, expression still caught somewhere between awe and disbelief. “You’re sure?”

Jude smiled a little, seeing the determined look in Laura’s eyes. He squeezed Gideon’s leg, stealing a spoonful of frozen yogurt. “She’s sure.”


	6. Chapter 6

They managed to get in a few more calls before Laura had to go back to Boston, but another visit would have been too risky. It amazed Gideon a little how hard it was to accept the restriction, given the fact that his life had been nothing _but_ secrecy and carefully divided walls until a year ago. Jude had cracked him all the way open, and he’d gotten too used to being able to breathe.

But he could play the game as well as anyone, and though winning the team a second championship had gone a long way to securing his place here he didn’t want to waste the leverage. So he smiled, jumped through all of Jelena’s hoops, and helped Jude vet the hell out of every aspect of the big reveal.

Laura called him in the evenings, which helped. Sometimes it was to talk about their respective work days, sometimes it was to get his opinion on some random thing like who would win in a fight between The Rock and Vin Diesel, and once it was to grumble about the fact that a nameless benefactor had _mysteriously_ paid off her student loans.

“I was _handling_ it,” she’d argued. “I don’t want you or anyone else to think that I found you because—“

“I don’t think that, and neither does Jude or your parents. Those are the only people who matter.” Then he smirked a little. “Besides, this is all part of big brother prerogative. It means I pay for your college since I can, but it also means I get to embarrass you in front of various future dates if I figure out how.”

“Jokes on you,” she’d shot back, the worry in her voice replaced by affection. “I’m your sister. As far as I can tell, we missed the shame gene completely.”

He also heard Jude on the phone with her at various points, sometimes to work on the plan but at other times what sounded just like friendly conversations. Gideon wondered if he should be worried about the thought of both of them ganging up on him at some point, then decided not to worry. It would probably happen, whether or not he worried about it, and odds were it would be a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

000

When the time came, Jude and Gideon announced they would be holding a press conference at the Logan International Airport in Boston. The rumors immediately started flying, but every single one of them were speculations about his career – whether Boston had made him a better offer after the Devil’s surprise championship win, whether Jelena had been biding her time and was dumping him off on another team in long-delayed retaliation for their brief, unfortunate relationship, and others that were variations on one theme or the other.

Once the press conference started, however, they were all very surprised by the short blond in a Devil’s t-shirt who wove her way through the crowd and gave Jude a hug before sliding an arm around Gideon. He hooked an arm around her shoulders and gave the reporters his most charming smile. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like you to meet my little sister.”

Cue the explosion of questions.  

They covered the basics – they got separated in foster care and just found each other again, they’re grateful for the chance to re-connect, of course I’m not leaving the Devils, I have no idea why you’d think that – then escaped along a pre-arranged exit to the limo waiting to take them to the hotel. Once they were inside, all three of them collapsed against the seats.

“You weren’t kidding,” Laura groaned. “Oh, I hope they don’t quote me at all. I sounded like an idiot.”

“You were great,” Jude soothed. “That bit about researching basketball so you could follow Gideon’s games better was great.”

Laura smiled at him, then sighed. “I almost won’t mind when they start asking me rude questions and I can tell them to just fuck off.” Then she looked over at Gideon. “I notice you didn’t mention anything about your actual name.”

Gideon lifted his shoulders in a half shrug. “It’ll come up on its own, and it’s better to leave the press a few bones you don’t mind them finding.” Then he smirked. “If you end up hitting a pap and it gets on video, make sure to send me the link.”

She shoved at him, her expression softening. “Anyone ever tell you you’re an asshole?”

He chuckled as Jude smiled. “Occasionally.”

000

Far more terrifying than the reporters were the couple waiting in the hotel suite next to Gideon and Jude’s. Laura’s parents had checked in the evening before, before the press realized they had any reason to care about this hotel, and Laura was going over to their suite to get them now.

Gideon... wasn’t panicking. He _definitely_ wasn’t.

“Breathe.” Jude’s voice was gentle and just a touch amused as he laid his hands against the sides of Gideon’s face. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Of course there isn’t.” Gideon deliberately ignored the unsteadiness in his own voice. “I just have to suddenly come up with a cover that _parents_ would be okay with, then figure out how to hold it for the next _15_ to _20 years_ without—”

Jude cut him off with a kiss. “Just be _yourself_ ,” he murmured against Gideon’s mouth. “They’ll love you.”

Gideon kept his eyes closed, chest tight with gratitude. “You’re delusional,” he breathed. “Have I mentioned how much I love that about you?”

They broke apart at the sound of the door opening, and Laura stepped inside followed by two responsible-looking people in their mid-60s. The panic surged back, but Gideon made himself smile as the man held his hand out. “Samuel Pearson,” he said, giving Gideon a steady look that he’d reserve judgment until all the evidence came in. “Laura said your real name is Gideon Kinkade?”

Shooting Laura a grateful look, he shook the man’s hand. “Not officially until the wedding, sir, but close enough.”

Samuel’s expression softened. “You know you don’t have to ‘sir’ me, right?”

Gideon smiled a little. “Seems like a safe bet anyway, sir.”

When Samuel moved to shake Jude’s hand, Gideon turned his attention to Laura’s mother, Christine. She was watching him with a calm look that gave away nothing, and he knew instinctively that she’d see through any kind of trick in an instant. So he just held out his hand, and hoped she’d forgive him for whatever it was she saw.

Finally, she took his hand. Instead of shaking it, however, she tugged him forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Welcome to the family,” she murmured in his ear, holding on tight.

When she let him go again, everyone was kind enough not to mention the fact that Gideon’s cheeks were wet.

**Author's Note:**

> Come check out my new original fiction on my [blog](http://jennifferwardell.blogspot.com) or say hi to me on [Tumblr](http://sanctuaryforalluniverses.tumblr.com)


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